


only just begun (chasing the sun)

by seaunicorn



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Ancient History, Artifact hunting, F/F, Museums, Treasure Hunting, this is what happens when i watch national treasure 2 and play a lot of uncharted in the same week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23742436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaunicorn/pseuds/seaunicorn
Summary: “I’m a curator of ancient artifacts here. Emma Nolan.” She held out her hand.The woman’s smile brightened, bringing out the dimple on her cheek. “Ancient artifacts, you say?” she asked. “You may be just the person I’m looking for. I’m Alyssa. Tourist and history buff.”
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	1. Washington, D.C.

**Author's Note:**

> Idk what to call this au but it’s a weird combination of national treasure/uncharted/tomb raider/Indiana jones vibes. Enjoy!

“Are you going to be holed up in your office all day?”

Emma looked up from the photocopied journal pages she had been pouring over for—she checked the time on her watch—hours apparently. Her friend Kaylee leaned against the open door of her office, looking at her expectantly. Emma just shrugged.

“I’m almost done with Drake’s journal,” she explained. “Research is part of our jobs, you know. How is the world of art history, by the way?” For a moment, Kaylee’s face brightened, until Emma added, “Actually, never mind. I don’t care. Art history is boring.”

“Screw you, Nolan,” Kaylee laughed. “At least I get to look at pretty art. You’re just researching dusty old artifacts. No offense.”

Emma frowned. “Offense taken!” She held up the page she was looking at, writing and drawings of some familiar museum exhibits. “All these artifacts have such a rich history. The stories behind them, the people they were made by, held by, given to! It’s incredible!”

Kaylee coughed into her hand, covering it up as she muttered, “Nerd.”

“I heard that,” Emma grumbled.

“Come on, let’s grab lunch!” Kaylee walked over and snatched the papers away from Emma. Emma unfortunately had slow reflexes and the pages barely slipped from her grasp. “The student tour groups have all left for the day so the cafeteria should be empty.”

“Thank god,” Emma muttered. She frowned, eyeing the papers that Kaylee still held, just out of her reach. “Can I just finish one more journal entry?”

Kaylee rolled her eyes. “No! You’re just gonna get sucked in for the rest of the day and miss lunch. I’m hungry. I’m not waiting that long.”

“I never said you had to wait,” Emma muttered. When Kaylee didn’t relent, Emma put on her best pout until Kaylee sighed in defeat and dropped the papers in front of her again.

“Fine,” Kaylee huffed. “I’ll be up in the Ocean Terrace Cafe, if you decide to finish working and care to join me at some point this century.”

“No promises,” Emma called after her as she left the research room. “Thanks, Kaylee!”

Emma immersed herself in her work once again. The Ancient Egypt collection was particularly capturing her attention this afternoon. She delved into the journal pages again, and one soon turned into ten which soon turned into thirty, and the next time Emma looked up, another hour had passed.

“Shit,” she muttered. Her stomach grumbled. It was already three o’clock in the afternoon and all she had for breakfast was a banana on the way to work. She drained the rest of her cup of coffee that had long gone cold. Emma stood up from her desk for the first time in hours and stretched her arms over her head, trying to regain the feeling in her legs. She grabbed her ID badge and wandered out of her office, out of the research wings, and into the museum.

The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History was still open for a few more hours. It was late enough in the day that all the school tours had left, but all the after-school Friday afternoon crowds had started to gather. Emma would rather deal with AP students doing research than a tour group of hyper elementary school kids on her lunch break anyway.

Emma rounded the corner and started to walk upstairs when she heard someone calling after her.

“Excuse me, do you work here?” a voice called out.

Emma turned around and saw at the foot of the foot of the stairs a woman about her age, a shy smile on her lips, as she waved up at Emma. Emma stopped in her tracks, the only thought racing through her brain was _girl pretty._ She stared for a moment, before her brain caught up to her gay panic and she realized she should probably say something.

“Yes,” she said quickly. Emma walked down a few steps, and the woman mimicked her movements, meeting her halfway. “Yeah. I’m a curator of ancient artifacts here. Emma Nolan.” She held out her hand.

The woman’s smile brightened, bringing out the dimple on her cheek. “Ancient artifacts, you say?” she asked. “You may be just the person I’m looking for.” Her eyes trailed down Emma’s body, checking her out just subtly enough that it didn’t make Emma uncomfortable, but just obvious enough that Emma definitely noticed. She felt her cheeks heat up. “I’m Alyssa. Tourist and history buff.”

“Well, welcome to DC, Alyssa,” Emma said. “How’s the city treating you so far?”

“Thanks,” Alyssa grinned. After a moment, they both realized their hands were still joined between them. Alyssa gently slipped hers out of Emma’s grasp and looked up at her, dark eyes flecked with gold in the afternoon sun that peeked through the windows. Emma watched as Alyssa nervously slipped her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. “It’s been great,” Alyssa continued. “I’m here on business but I’ve had some time to check out all the sights. Did some shopping in Georgetown, some hiking at Rock Creek Park, and I’m meeting my mother for dinner on H Street tonight.”

“And today’s museum day?”

“Indeed.”

Emma cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “So, er, what can I do for you, Alyssa?”

“Well, considering you are an expert in some of these more… delicate artifacts,” Alyssa started, her voice like honey, and her emphasis making Emma think less than professional thoughts while she was still at work. “I had an interest in a few pieces in the Ancient Egypt exhibit and I was hoping you could point me in the right direction?” Alyssa tilted her head to the side as she asked this, and the curls of her ponytail bounced with the movement.

“Yeah,” Emma answered immediately without thinking, a little distracted. “I mean, no. I mean—“ She groaned internally. How is it that she always managed to make a fool of herself in front of beautiful women? Emma cleared her throat and started over. “It’s on the third floor, but unfortunately there’s a private event tonight and that wing is closed today for setup.”

Alyssa’s face dropped. “Shit, really?”

“I’m sorry,” Emma frowned. “You could come back tomorrow? It’ll be open as usual.” She hesitated a moment. “And, uh, I’d be more than happy to give you a personal tour.”

Alyssa bit her lip, blushing. “I would love that,” she sighed, “but tonight’s my last night in DC.”

“That’s a shame,” Emma muttered. Alyssa scuffed her shoe against the stone step, looking disheartened. “What were you so interested in seeing?”

“It’s dumb,” Alyssa said with a shrug. “My dad used to tell me about Ancient Egyptian myths and legends. I thought maybe seeing it would make me feel closer to him, in a way. There’s this goddess, Meskhenet—“

“The goddess of childbirth,” Emma added, nodding.

“Yeah,” Alyssa said with a bright smile, pleased that Emma knew what she was talking about. “Anyway, there’s this legend that when these triplets were born, she prophesied they would all grow up to be Pharoah and she gifted each of them with an ankh amulet as a symbol of that prophecy…”

“You want to see Userkaf’s Amulet?”

“Yes,” Alyssa nodded. “Userkaf’s Amulet.” She held Emma’s gaze for a moment, then shook her head and slumped her shoulders. “Anyway, I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. Thanks for the help. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

Alyssa turned around and took her slow, disheartened steps, down the stairs, away from Emma. She almost set foot on the ground floor again when Emma called after her, “Wait!”

Alyssa stopped and turned to Emma again, a curious look on her face.

“I could bring you up to the exhibit?” Emma suggested. She flashed her ID badge. “I have access. We’ll just have to be quick and not get in anyone’s way.”

A look of disbelief crossed Alyssa’s face. “You’d do that for me?”

Emma shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a pretty face.”

Alyssa’s smile grew, the blush on her cheeks growing redder. “You’re sweet,” she muttered, looking away.

Emma took a few steps down the stairs and offered her hand to Alyssa. “Shall we?”

Alyssa took her hand and Emma led her upstairs. Lunch was once again the furthest thing from her mind when Alyssa’s soft hand was in hers. The two tried and true things that could always distract Emma: getting immersed in her research, and a pretty girl.

They made their way up to the Ancient Egypt exhibition. The wing itself was closed off, but Emma swiped her badge and was easily able to get them through the door.

The area was bustling with workers setting up tables and chairs, but the exhibits still lined the walls. She glanced over to Alyssa who looked around the room in awe. She walked up to the nearest exhibit where an old silver scarab encrusted with emeralds was on display. “Oh, wow,” she muttered. “What is this, Tenth Dynasty?”

“Yeah,” Emma said, impressed. “You really know your stuff, don’t you?”

Alyssa shrugged. “It’s a bit of a hobby of mine.”

“What did you say you do again? Are you a researcher too?”

Alyssa’s lip quirked up ever so slightly. “Something like that.”

Emma stared at Alyssa for a moment, trying to make sense of her comment, but shook her head. “Um, we can’t stay long, but the amulet is over on—“

“Out of the way!” a voice called out.

Emma jumped backwards just as a worker wheeling a dolley stacked high with chairs passed them, separating her and Alyssa.

“I thought this wing was supposed to be closed,” he grumbled.

“Sorry!” Emma called after him. “We’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

He rolled his eyes and ignored her.

“Okay, we should really hurry,” Emma muttered, turning back to Alyssa, only to find that the woman had disappeared. She spun around, wondering where she had lost sight of her. “Alyssa?” she called out.

No answer. That was strange. Emma started to search the wing for Alyssa, but she was interrupted when the fire alarm started blaring throughout the museum.

“What the hell?” Emma frowned. She did one last scan of the room, looking for Alyssa to no avail. By then, the chaos in the room had grown tenfold with workers dropping their projects to evacuate, so Emma gave up and joined them in filing out of the building.

She kept her eyes peeled, but in the chaos of the evacuation, Emma didn’t catch another glimpse of Alyssa anywhere. She tried not to be disappointed.

It was about twenty minutes later, when Emma was standing out on the National Mall with Kaylee, when the museum’s head of security, Shelby Gonzales, finally gave them the okay to go back inside. The fire department was packing up and heading out, and Shelby was the bearer of good news to her coworkers.

Kaylee rushed up to Shelby the moment she saw her and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Shelby chuckled, reassuring her. She held onto Kaylee’s hands after they parted.

“So there was no fire?” Kaylee asked.

Shelby shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “Unfortunately, we think the fire alarm was used to cover up a robbery.”

Emma’s blood ran cold. “Oh, shit,” she gasped.

“A robbery?” Kaylee asked.

“Yeah,” Shelby confirmed. “Someone stole Userkaf’s Amulet.”

Emma felt like she was going to throw up.

  
  


“Emma, I know this wasn’t intentional, but you need to understand how serious of an issue this is.”

Barry Glickman, Emma’s boss, sat at his desk. He was usually a jovial man, so the stoic frown that currently occupied his face was uncharacteristic for him. Shelby leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. A cop sat in the chair next to her. She felt like a kid in elementary school getting sent to the principal’s office.

“I understand completely, sir,” Emma replied.

“Can you just go over all the details again?” Shelby interjected.

Emma sighed. “I’ve already told you everything I can. She said her name was Alyssa. She didn’t give me a last name. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes and dark skin and I think she was a little shorter than me. She said it was her last day in town and she wanted to see the Ancient Egypt exhibit to remember her dad. I felt bad and wanted to help.”

“And you said she specifically mentioned Userkaf’s Amulet?”

“Yes,” Emma said, exasperated. “Don’t you have security footage? Can’t you find her with that?”

Shelby looked to Barry. “You didn’t show her the footage?”

“No, I didn’t see any footage,” Emma said. She was growing more and more frustrated but somehow managed to keep her cool. “Please, enlighten me.”

Barry leaned forward at his desk and grasped his hands together, clearly frustrated. “We don’t have any usable footage of her from the security feeds.”

Emma frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Look, this woman clearly had cased the place beforehand. She knew what she was doing. She’s always behind you or in a blind spot. And it’s very likely that everything she said to you was a lie.”

“What—so you’ve got nothing?” Emma sputtered.

Barry nodded. “The board, unfortunately, needs someone to blame for this.” He frowned; Emma didn’t like the sound of that.

“Who, me? They’re blaming me?”

“I’m sorry, kid,” Barry sighed. “You’re suspended indefinitely, reinstatement pending review.”

“But it wasn’t my— you can’t just—“ Emma groaned, then buried her face in her hands, trying not to cry. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m gonna need your badge.” Emma could hear the tremble in Barry’s voice at the request. He had always been a mentor to her, and this was probably hard for him to do.

Not as hard as it was for Emma to get fired, though. She reluctantly unclipped her badge from her belt and placed it on Barry’s desk. Barry turned to Shelby, but kept his eyes down. “Shelby, if you could escort Emma from the premises.”

“What?!” Emma gasped. “I can see myself out!”

“Sorry,” Shelby frowned, “it’s protocol.”

Emma shot up from her seat and stormed out of Barry’s office, not even waiting to see if Shelby was following her.

“Hey,” Shelby called, chasing after her. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t your fault.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Emma muttered, slowing down so that Shelby could catch up. “I’m mad at myself. How could I be so stupid?!”

“Hey, if she was as cute as you say, I don’t blame you,” Shelby muttered. “I definitely got in trouble for letting Kaylee in after hours when she first started here.”

“Well Kaylee wasn’t a thief!”

Shelby shrugged. “She stole my heart.”

Emma rolled her eyes, but laughed despite herself, grateful Shelby was keeping the conversation light.

“Look,” Shelby continued, “I think the board will drop this if they find the culprit. I’ll do everything I can to get you reinstated in no time.”

“I won’t hold my breath,” Emma sighed.

“Hey,” Shelby glared. “I’m offended. I’m good at my job.”

“Sorry, I know you are. I just— she was smart about this. She probably doesn’t want to be found. Everything she told me was probably a lie.”

“Maybe,” Shelby shrugged. “Or maybe not. Why don’t you put those research skills to good use and find out?”

Emma stepped out the front doors of the museum. She looked up at the building wistfully. She loved her job and now she was probably going to be fired. Emma clenched her fists, angry.

“If I’m the one who finds this bitch I’m gonna punch her in the face before I even call the police.”

Shelby nodded. “Understandable.”

  
  


That was how Emma found herself, less than a week later, in New York City, standing outside an unfamiliar apartment building, pressing the buzzer up to apartment 212 with absolutely no plan.

“Who is it?” A familiar voice picked up over the box. Emma clenched her fists.

“Uh, Postmates?”

The line went quiet and Emma worried that her cover was blown, but a moment later, the front door lock clicked open, admitting her entrance. Emma climbed up the stairs, heart racing. She really hadn’t thought this through. She should have called the police, or Shelby. She didn’t even know if this girl was dangerous. _What the hell was she thinking?_

Eventually she arrived at apartment 212 and gave a swift knock before she could chicken out. There was a patter of footsteps, the click of a lock sliding open, and then the door opened in front of her.

Alyssa stood in front of her, barefoot, wearing sweats and a tank top. Her hair was in a messy bun at the top of her head, and she looked tired from the bags under her eyes. She looked confused for a split second, then realization crossed her face.

“See, I could have sworn I ordered DoorDash, not Postmates.”

Emma felt a surge of anger course through her again and reflexively reached up and slapped her across the face.

Alyssa didn’t flinch, but she stiffened her jaw and rubbed her cheek a little. “Okay, I probably deserved that.”

Emma wasn’t sure where this confidence was coming from, but Alyssa hadn’t slammed the door on her yet, so she pushed past the woman and stormed inside. “What the hell is your problem?”

To her surprise, Alyssa seemed completely nonplussed. She closed the door behind Emma and leaned against it. “Look, I’m sorry I got you suspended. It was unexpected collateral.”

“Suspended, pending review,” Emma muttered. “It’s basically fired.”

“How’d you find me?”

Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out a few folded up pieces of paper. “I’m a researcher, Greene, and I’ve had plenty of time on my hands this week. I usually research historical figures and artifacts, but the skills can come in handy when trying to find a person.”

She handed Alyssa one piece of paper. It was a printed out Instagram post from an account called @VeronicaGreeneRealty. The photo was of two plates of food, captioned, ‘Had dinner with my beautiful daughter while she was in town. Come back and visit again soon @agreene!’

“Dinner with your mom,” Emma said. “I searched through pictures of pretty much every restaurant on H Street that were location tagged and found this one eventually. Doesn’t take a scientist to put two and two together.”

“How’d you know it was me?” Alyssa asked. “My instagram is private.”

Emma handed her the next piece of paper, photocopies of news clippings from 2008. “Now that I had a potential name, a handful of other searches led me to some old news articles about your high school cheerleading squad going to nationals. The pictures may be over a decade old, but it still looks like you.”

“Damn,” Alyssa muttered. “And my address?”

“I have a friend who has a hook up with the police. I sent her your account and she found your IP address and neighborhood. I called around local restaurants pretending to be you until someone would forward me an old delivery receipt that I claimed I lost.” She flashed the last piece of paper in front of Alyssa.

Alyssa looked at the receipt and frowned. “I’ve been ordering from Sal for six years, you’d think he would recognize my voice by now.”

“Word of advice,” Emma said as she folded up the papers again and shoved them back into her pocket. “If you’re trying to stay hidden, maybe don’t give someone your real name or tell them your weekend plans.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Alyssa confessed with a shrug.

That, Emma wasn’t expecting. “W-what?”

“I’m a professional, Nolan,” Alyssa said plainly. “I had been casing the place for a week and I read up on you too. I knew you were researching Userkaf’s Amulet and its brothers. I knew you would want to get me in, I knew where to be, but I wasn’t expecting… _you.”_

Emma frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Alyssa shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a pretty face,” she said, repeating Emma’s words from when they first met, tacking a wink on at the end.

Emma blushed and grew flustered. “I— you—“

“So what brings you here anyway?” Alyssa asked as she crossed the room and plopped down in a chair at the table, opening her laptop again and resuming her work. Emma finally turned around and got a good look at the apartment. It was a spacious studio with large windows; it was fairly messy and there was clutter everywhere. The table Alyssa sat at was half covered in various books and papers, and half covered in dirty dishes that never made it to the sink. Her bed was unmade and her laundry basket overflowing.

“You live like this?” Emma asked without thinking, looking around at the mess.

Alyssa rolled her eyes, not even looking up from her laptop. “I’ve been busy, okay?” she muttered. “So, what, you’re gonna call the cops on me now or something?”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead…” Emma admitted. This seemed to catch Alyssa’s attention, her eyes quirked up from what she was looking at and she gave Emma a small smile.

Then, Emma spotted it across the room, just sitting out on the coffee table. The bright turquoise gemstone inlaid in gold caught her eye easily. Userkaf’s Amulet.

The table was covered in crumbs, presumably from a half eaten donut that sat on a napkin, and it was inches away from an open cup of coffee. The anger surged through Emma again as she stormed past Alyssa.

“You— how could you just— ugh!”

She marched over and picked up the amulet. Emma realized when she grabbed it that it was sealed in some sort of plastic bag. As soon as Emma moved toward the coffee table, Alyssa reacted instinctively and her eyes grew wide. She leapt out of her seat and confronted Emma.

“Careful with that!” Alyssa exclaimed.

“Me? It’s literally my job to handle ancient artifacts. How could you be so careless with it?!” She gestured to the messy table underneath.

“The bag is airtight, it’s _fine.”_ Alyssa reached out for the amulet, but Emma held it out of her reach.

“I’ll be taking this back,” Emma said. It surprised her when Alyssa leapt up and swiped the amulet from her hands with relative ease.

“I can’t let you do that, sorry.”

Emma tried to grab for it again, but Alyssa held it out of her reach. “You _stole_ this!”

“So did Nicholas Drake!” Alyssa chided.

That caught Emma by surprise. Nicholas Drake, the archaeologist and explorer whose journal she had been reading before she was suspended. “What?”

“He— he exploited Userkaf’s tomb and the people of Egypt for his own profit. It’s not your fault the amulet ended up at the Smithsonian, but… it doesn’t belong there.”

Emma stopped trying to grab the amulet from Alyssa’s hands. “What are you saying?”

“I’m reuniting the three amulets and donating them to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.”

Emma blinked for a moment, confused. “You’re reuniting— hang on, only two of them were ever found. This one and Neferirkare’s Amulet at the Natural History Museum in London. You’re not saying—“

“Yeah,” Alyssa sighed, “I’m looking for Sehket-Re.”

Emma gaped at her for a moment. “Okay, we’re gonna table the Sun Temple built by Sahure that has _never been found by archaeologists_ for a second. I was more referring to the implication that you’re going to break into another museum.”

Alyssa just gave her a guilty smile. “Well, yeah, that too.”

Emma shook her head, backing away. “You’re crazy,” she muttered. “Crazy. _I’m_ crazy. What the hell am I even doing here? I should’ve just called the cops! I should’ve left ages ago!”

“But you’re still here,” Alyssa observed. “That’s gotta mean something. Do you trust me?”

Emma didn’t hesitate to answer. “Absolutely not.”

“Maybe somewhere, deep down?”

Emma stopped backing away and sighed. She sat down at the table and buried her face in her hands. “What am I doing here?” she groaned.

“I’m telling you the truth, Emma,” Alyssa said. She crossed the room and sat down next to her. “You know I’m doing the right thing.”

It was true. While Emma loved her job and loved the research that came with it, she knew so many of these artifacts were far from their rightful homes, far from the civilizations that created them, and there was nothing she could do to amend that. Though as much as she wanted to believe Alyssa, to trust her, there was something gnawing at the back of her head that wouldn’t leave her alone.

“What do you get out of all this?” Emma asked, curious.

Alyssa pursed her lips. “The satisfaction of helping people?” Emma raised an eyebrow, not believing her. Alyssa sighed. “Okay, I do have a bit of a personal stake in this. But that’s all you’re getting from me for now.”

Emma stared at the table. She should call the cops. She should call Shelby. She should take back the amulet and reclaim her job. Still, due to her nature as a researcher, Emma’s curiosity always got the best of her.

“How the hell are you planning on breaking into another museum?”

Alyssa’s lips turned up in a small smile. “I’m so glad you asked.” She turned her laptop around to show what she had been looking at. She was on a web page with information about an upcoming event at the Natural History Museum in London. “There’s a fundraising gala next week for some of the wealthiest donors. I’m trying to see if I can weasel my way in and use the event as a cover.”

Emma let out a long sigh, puffing out her cheeks as the air escaped her lips. She was really going to regret the next words that came out of her mouth, wasn’t she?

“I think I can get you an invitation.”

Alyssa’s attention piqued, her eyes immediately on Emma’s, rapt with curiosity. “How?”

“My grandmother is the head curator there.”

Before Alyssa could ask any further questions, a loud buzz sounded through the apartment. Alyssa held up a finger and walked to the door, pressing a button.

“Who is it?”

A distorted voice came through the intercom a moment later. “DoorDash.”

Alyssa pressed another button, then turned around to look at Emma again, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Emma Nolan, would you like to stay for dinner?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated. Stay safe and healthy friends, ily <3


	2. London

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma helps Alyssa break into the Natural History Museum in London to steal amulet #2. Things go perfectly according to plan.

Emma felt deeply out of place stepping into the first class area of the plane wearing jeans, an oversized flannel, and high tops. Whenever she flew she dressed for comfort, but she was surrounded by successful people, politicians, entertainers, businessmen, wearing their Sunday best on this flight to London.

Alyssa wore a more casual dress, but she didn’t look out of place. She looked in her element as she sauntered to her seat, grabbing a glass of champagne from a hostess along the way. Emma quickly rushed after her, not wanting to be left behind, especially with the old white man in the seat right by the door eyeing her with distaste.

“I really wish you told me we were flying first class,” Emma muttered as she sat down next to Alyssa.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, I could’ve dressed the part a little,” Emma shrugged, gesturing to her attire.

“What? You look cute,” Alyssa said casually. Emma blushed. “Besides, everyone in first class is judging each other no matter what you wear. Don’t feel like you need to fit in.”

“I just wish I had some warning.” Emma anxiously looked over her shoulder. The old man was no longer watching her, but there was a lady who was what Emma imagined a Kardiashian to look like that was now eyeing her suspiciously. Emma gulped and retracted into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible.

“Hey, just relax,” Alyssa said, sensing Emma’s nerves. “Grab a drink. Stop thinking too hard.” She gestured to another hostess who passed by, and Emma relented and grabbed a glass of champagne that was offered to her.

“So, uh, do you fly first class a lot?” Emma asked, taking a sip, hoping the drink would help ease her nerves.

“Sometimes,” Alyssa shrugged. “Only when I’m trying to impress a pretty girl,” she added with a wink. Emma almost choked on her champagne.

“So you never told me what exactly you do, or how you can afford…” Emma glanced around pointedly at the first class lounge, “this.”

“My dad left me a bit of money,” Alyssa explained. “I studied archaeology and anthropology in college, but the work I do is a bit more… freelance.”

“Okay, Miss Cryptic.”

“I’ll tell you a little more about it sometime,” Alyssa said, smirking. “Maybe over dinner?” This time Emma did choke on her champagne.

“Uh—I don’t think— that’s not such a good idea…” Emma stuttered, blushing.

Alyssa watched her for a moment, amused, then took another sip of her own champagne. ”I meant for our cover story.”

Emma blinked. “Cover story?”

“Well, yeah. You told your grandmother you were bringing a date, right?”

Emma’s eyes grew wide. She had forgotten about the implications of the word date. “Right! Of course. Date. You’re my date to this thing, obviously.”

Alyssa chuckled, amused. “So, how long have we been together? How did we meet?” she asked. She glanced out the window and crossed her legs, making her dress ride up a little. Emma’s eyes were drawn to the motion, but quickly cleared her throat and looked away before Alyssa could notice.

“I think we should just stick as close to the truth as possible,” Emma said.

Alyssa nodded. “Okay, so I flirted you into taking me to see a closed exhibit and then stole—”

“Not  _ that  _ close!”

Alyssa laughed. Emma tried not to think about how nice of a sound it was. “Okay, okay. I was visiting the Smithsonian and couldn’t help but flirt with the cute curator who had the same niche interest in Ancient Egypt?”

Emma cleared her throat. “Sure.”

“And you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you need a side of the story too.”

Emma glared at her. “You were persistent and annoying, and eventually I agreed to go on a date with you.”

Alyssa rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “You’re no fun.” She had a small smile on her lips though, and Emma knew she wasn’t really annoyed.

Emma took another sip of champagne and attributed the warmth in her chest to the alcohol and not the intriguing, beautiful woman sitting next to her.

“So, Emma,” Alyssa started, leaning forward, an excited glint in her eye. “Care to tell me about some of your research?”

As much as Emma wanted to be annoyed, Alyssa seemed genuinely interested, which wasn’t a common reaction when people found out most of her job entailed vast amounts of historical research. The last date Emma went on months ago, she excitedly rambled about ancient Mesopotamian culture for about half an hour and nearly put her date to sleep. The woman then excused herself to the bathroom and never came back.

But Alyssa had a glimmer of interest in her eyes, and Emma could never resist talking about her work. Alyssa was engaged in every word she said, and half of Emma’s focus was spent trying to not notice the excited curl of her lip and the dimple on her cheek whenever Alyssa smiled.

  
  


“Gran, you didn’t have to pick us up!” Emma grumbled, closing her eyes as her grandmother wrapped her in a tight hug and held on until Emma felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore.

“What kind of host would I be if I didn’t pick up my own granddaughter and her girlfriend from the airport?” She let go and turned to Alyssa, wrapping her up in a hug as well. “Betsy Nolan. So good to finally meet you.”

Alyssa shot Emma a surprised look over Betsy’s shoulder, but Emma just shrugged to convey,  _ just go with it.  _ Alyssa laughed and returned the embrace. “It’s so good to meet you too. I’m Alyssa. Emma’s told me so much about you.”

“Well Emma’s hardly mentioned a word about you so I’m looking forward to doing a full interrogation.”

_ “Gran!” _

“Oh, relax honey, it’s nothing to worry about,” Betsy brushed off. She hopped back into the driver’s seat of the car, gesturing for the girls to get in the backseat. “How long have you been together again?”

“Three months,” Emma said.

At the exact same time, Alyssa answered, “Five months.”

They glanced at each other in a panic, and then Alyssa laughed awkwardly. “Sorry, we  _ met _ five months ago but she didn’t agree to go on a date with me until two months after that. Took me a while to wear her down.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Betsy said. “This one’s always so focused on her research. I don’t even remember the last time she brought a girl to meet me!”

“Tell me about it,” Alyssa chatted pleasantly. “I can’t even tell you how many lunch dates she’s worked through.”

“Emma Nolan!” Betsy chided. “I raised you to treat a lady better than that.”

Emma turned bright red. “I—”

“It’s fine, she always makes it up to me later,” Alyssa said. Emma scowled and gave her a pointed look. “With flowers!” Alyssa quickly added. “Flowers. Nice flowers.”

Needless to say, it was an incredibly awkward car ride for Emma, though Alyssa seemed to be enjoying herself. Thankfully, half an hour later, Betsy pulled up at her house. Emma couldn’t get out of the car fast enough, rushing to the trunk to grab hers and Alyssa’s suitcases to carry inside.

“I’ll show you up to the guest room,” Emma said when they had gotten inside. “I’ll take the couch.”

“Oh, nonsense!” Betsy said. “We’re all adults here, you two can share the guest room.”

Emma’s eyes grew wide. She and Alyssa exchanged a panicked look. “Oh, no, that’s not necessary—”

“That’s very sweet of you Mrs. Nolan, but—”

“I insist!” Betsy said flatly, ending the discussion. “Now get upstairs and freshen up. Dinner as soon as you’re ready.”

Emma and Alyssa exchanged a nervous glance, realizing that there wasn’t much they could do to get out of this. Emma just shrugged and nodded towards the stairs.

“Here, I can grab that,” Alyssa muttered, taking her suitcase from Emma’s hands.

Emma led her up the familiar staircase and down the hall. She didn’t come visit her grandmother as often as she’d like because she was usually busy with work, but still tried to make the trip once or twice a year. She opened the door to the guest bedroom and gestured for Alyssa to walk inside first.

The room had a wide window with a view of the park across the street with curtains for some privacy, the floor was a cool gray carpet, and most importantly one full-sized bed up against the wall. Emma and Alyssa stopped at the foot of the bed, set down their suitcases, and stared at it.

After a moment, Alyssa cleared her throat. “Um, shower?”

_ “What?”  _ Emma gasped.

Alyssa scrunched her eyebrows together, confused by Emma’s reaction. “Can I… take a shower?”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, of course!” she said, shaking her head. “Um, bathroom is through that door.” She pointed over her shoulder.

Alyssa muttered her thanks and grabbed some toiletries and a change of clothes from her suitcase. As soon as she disappeared, locked the door behind her, and started the water, Emma fell face-first on the bed and groaned.

It was going to be a long couple days.

Once they had both freshened up after their long flight, Emma somehow survived the awkward affair that was dinner, filled with a persistent Betsy who kept up her interrogation from the car ride. Emma felt like she couldn’t eat fast enough to get out of there, but Alyssa was amused by the whole charade.

“Mrs. Nolan, dinner was delicious.”

Alyssa was already on her feet, helping clear the dishes off the table, but Betsy was quick to follow her and swat her hands away.

“None of that, dear,” Betsy said. “You’re a guest here.” Alyssa put up her hands and took a step back as Betsy snatched the plates from her and carried them to the kitchen. “Emma, honey, would you grab the pie from the fridge for dessert?”

“I thought we were guests!” Emma pouted.

“Emma Leanne Nolan—“

“Okay, okay!”

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at her. “Leanne?”

Emma glared. “Shut up.”

Alyssa laughed. “I said nothing.”

Emma got the pie from the fridge and Betsy bumped her hip as she passed by. “I like her. She’s a good one.” Emma just laughed awkwardly and tried to ignore her. Betsy was also preparing tea in the kitchen.

Betsy cut everyone generous slices of pie and poured out some tea.

“So, you’re both curators?” Alyssa said. “Is that a coincidence or is it a family enterprise?”

“Well I’d say it’s coincidentally a family enterprise,” Betsy said. “Emma’s grandfather was a tour guide at the Air and Space Museum in DC. That’s how we first met when I was on a school trip.”

“When I was a kid he took me to different museums every month,” Emma explained. “And I’ve always liked history.”

“What about your parents?” Alyssa asked.

It was an innocent enough question, but it caused Emma to freeze up in fear. Betsy also tensed next to her, her face turning white. She glanced over at Emma, silently asking what she wanted. Emma cleared her throat.

“Uh, we don’t really speak to my parents anymore,” she said quickly, averting her eyes to the slice of pie in front of her. She stabbed it with her fork a couple times, picking at it.

“I’m so sorry, I—“

“It’s fine, you didn’t know.”

“So, this gala tomorrow will be fun,” Betsy interjected. “I’m so glad you decided to go. What are you wearing?”

Emma blinked. “Uh, I don’t know.”

“Emma Nolan,” Betsy scolded. “You are always so unprepared. Remember when you bought your suit for prom a day before the dance?”

“Hey, here’s an idea,” Alyssa said. “You two spend the day together tomorrow. I’ll go out and get us both something nice to wear.”

Emma shook her head. “You really don’t have to do that.”

“Please, I insist. You hardly get to see your grandmother. And I can make sure we match,” Alyssa said with a wink.

Emma blushed. Betsy looked between them and gave a long and exaggerated yawn. “Well, I’m not as young as I used to be. I think it’s time for bed.”

“Goodnight Mrs. Nolan, thank you again for dinner.”

When Emma and Alyssa finally made their way back upstairs, they stood at the foot of the bed once again, staring at it. Emma cleared her throat.

“Um, I can grab some pillows and sleep on the floor,” she said.

“No!” Alyssa said. “I can sleep on the floor.”

“No, you’re not sleeping on the floor.” Emma sighed. She glanced over at Alyssa and shrugged. “It’s a big bed.”

Alyssa nodded. “Yeah.”

Emma pursed her lips. “I’m gonna go brush my teeth.”

She got ready for bed quickly and by the time she returned, Alyssa was already in her pajamas—shorts and a tank top. She didn’t even look at Emma as she darted into the bathroom to brush her own teeth.

Emma got changed and sat at the edge of the bed, checking her emails as she plugged in her phone to charge. She spotted a new message from Barry that caught her eye. Her suspension hearing was scheduled for two weeks from now. Great.

The bathroom door opened and Emma looked up. Alyssa gave a shy smile, much different from the confident bravado she had on most of the time. Emma waited for Alyssa to get into bed and shut off the light before climbing in herself.

She did her best to keep at least a six inch buffer between them, but she could still feel the warmth radiating from Alyssa under the covers. Emma laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling, heart racing, willing herself not to look over at the woman next to her.

It felt like ages that she laid like that, unable to relax. Eventually, Alyssa spoke up, her voice a soft whisper. “Emma?”

“Yeah?” Emma turned her head and saw Alyssa lying on her side, facing Emma, her hands tucked under her head.

“Why don’t you talk to your parents anymore?”

Emma swallowed and looked back up at the ceiling. “They, uh, kicked me out when I was sixteen,” she explained. “I lived with my grandma after that.”

There was a moment of silence. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” Emma mused. “Sorry I didn’t tell you before. I guess that’s the kind of thing a girlfriend should know, huh?” She gave a humorless laugh.

“My dad isn’t around anymore either,” Alyssa said, vaguely. “It’s not exactly the same thing, but… I understand.”

Emma turned on her side to face Alyssa and gave her a small smile. “Thanks,” she muttered.

Alyssa held her gaze for a moment, studying Emma’s face, until she sighed, “Goodnight, Emma.”

“Goodnight, Alyssa,” Emma said.

Alyssa turned over to face the other way and Emma suddenly missed the way her warm, comforting eyes watched her.

Emma woke up the next morning in an empty bed and pushed the disappointment she felt to the back of her brain, stowing it away so she would hopefully forget about it soon enough.

  
  


“What made you change your mind about coming?” Betsy asked over lunch, somewhat out of the blue.

Emma choked on her sandwich. “Uh, what do you mean?” Betsy raised an eyebrow at her. Emma sighed. “Okay, okay. I guess you heard what happened at the Smithsonian?”

“Word travels fast,” Betsy said. “Why are they blaming this on you?”

Emma pursed her lips, trying to think of a way to stretch the truth that wouldn’t give too much away without actually lying to her grandmother. “I—I was up in the Ancient Egypt wing when it happened and it was supposed to be closed. They can’t find the culprit and they need someone to blame so I guess I get the short end of the stick. And since I had the time off I figured I’d come visit. Alyssa was more than happy to tag along.”

“Yeah, how did you two meet again?”

“At work!” Emma said quickly. “She just had some questions about an exhibit. A lot of questions.”

“And what does she do?”

Emma shrugged quickly. “Just some freelance researching stuff. I don’t know the specifics.”

Betsy raised an eyebrow at her. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Emma went pale.

“Don’t worry,” Betsy laughed at the panicked expression on her granddaughter’s face. “I won’t pry. You can tell me when you’re ready. I do have one more question, though.”

Emma cleared her throat and nodded. “Shoot.”

“You really like this girl?”

Emma blushed and looked down at her empty glass of water. “I don’t see what that has to do with—“

“Just answer the question, hon.”

Emma hesitated, then gave a half shrug with one shoulder. “I don’t know,” she muttered. Her lips turned up in a small smile as she remembered the way Alyssa looked at her last night, just before they fell asleep. “Maybe.”

Just then, the front door opened and Alyssa walked in, toting a few shopping bags and gave them both a bright smile. Emma quickly straightened her shoulders and forced a smile on her face, hoping Alyssa wouldn’t suspect what she was just thinking.

“Alyssa, dear!” Betsy said, filled with excitement, not a glimpse of their prior conversation on her face. “Here, I’ve got a sandwich for you, and then we can all get ready for tonight.”

Alyssa’s bright smile made Emma’s heart race. She shrugged off the feeling and went to shower, leaving Alyssa and her grandmother to socialize while she got ready for the gala.

Emma looked at herself in the mirror, fixing the deep red tie around her neck. She always seemed to struggle with ties for some reason; she was never able to get it to look just right.

Emma was just about ready to go, but hadn’t seen Alyssa in half an hour since she disappeared into the bathroom to get ready. Eventually satisfied with the messy knot of her tie, Emma ran her fingers through her har, making sure the short curls stayed in place. She looked down her outfit in the mirror and stuck her hands in her pockets, admiring the dark charcoal gray color, accented with her red tie. Not bad. Alyssa really knew how to pick out a suit.

The bathroom door opened just a crack and Alyssa’s voice called out. “Emma, could you come here for a sec?”

Emma stepped into the bathroom and froze in the doorway, breath caught in her throat. Alyssa looked stunning in a vibrant red dress with a slit that revealed far too much of her leg that it had Emma more than a little distracted. Her full lips had on a matching red lipstick, and Emma wondered for a moment how that would look if Alyssa red lips left marks on her own pale skin.

She cleared her throat and shook the thought from her head before her gaze continued to travel up to find Alyssa’s gorgeous eyes accented by dark, smoky makeup, And her hair… the luscious curls were tied back in an elegant updo, but there were a few curly locks that fell loose, framing her face.

Emma wasn’t sure how long she was staring, but Alyssa raised an eyebrow at her and cleared her throat. Emma blinked. “Yeah?” she squeaked, her shaky voice betraying how affected she was from seeing Alyssa like this.

Alyssa smirked, not oblivious to Emma’s lingering gaze. “I just need some help with my zipper,” she muttered and turned around, revealing the back of her dress unzipped. Emma’s eyes dragged across the expanse of skin of her back, her shoulders and toned arms. She swallowed thickly.

“Y-yeah,” Emma said quickly. “Of course.”

Emma licked her lips as she stepped up behind Alyssa, trying to calm her shaking hands as she grabbed the zipper and slowly dragged it up, closing the fabric. When Emma finished, she let out a shaky breath, and indulged for a moment, letting her fingertips skirt against the smooth skin of Alyssa’s shoulders.

Alyssa spun around and Emma tried to take a step back, but Alyssa caught the lapels of her jacket and held her in place. She smoothed her hands over the fabric, straightened the tie, then glanced up at Emma.

“You clean up nice,” she said, a smirk on her lips.

Emma felt like she couldn’t breathe with Alyssa so close to her. Her presence was dangerously intoxicating, but Emma wanted nothing more than to kiss her right now.

Her brain, unfortunately, screamed at her loud enough not to.

Emma cleared her throat. “Um, so, we should talk about the plan,” she said quickly, taking a step back. This time, Alyssa didn’t hold her in place. “How are we doing this?”

“Emma,  _ you’re  _ just going to a party. I don’t want you getting involved in this.”

Emma shook her head. “No, I said I was going to help you. I’m already basically fired. What else have I got to lose?”

Alyssa’s eyes darkened for a moment. “A lot. You could get hurt, you could go to jail, if something goes wrong. Just… enjoy the party and don’t follow me if I wander off.”

“But—“

“No buts,” Alyssa said firmly. “I’ve been doing this a while. I know the risk, and I’m okay with it. You weren’t supposed to get wrapped up in this, so I’m trying to do the chivalrous thing and keep you out of it. Please let me do that?”

Though Emma had stepped away, there was still tension in the air between them. She opened her mouth, unsure of what reply would spill out, but was saved by a knock at the bedroom door.

“Almost ready to go?” Betsy called through the door.

“Yeah,” Emma said quickly. “We’ll be down in a second, gran.”

  
  


Emma had been to the Natural History Museum in London plenty of times before, but the stunning building never failed to take her breath away as they walked up the stone steps and through the arched doorway. The moment they arrived, Betsy went off to greet her coworkers, leaving Emma and Alyssa to their own devices. The pair followed the crowd finding their way to the banquet hall where the shindig was getting started.

They had arrived a little late so the gala already seemed to be in full swing. Emma began to walk toward the dining area to find a place to sit and eat, but Alyssa caught her by the hand and tugged her in the other direction. She nodded toward the floor where elegant looking couples were paired off, swaying together, some of them dancing very impressive steps that made Emma’s brain hurt as she tried to follow them with her eyes.

“Care to dance?” Alyssa asked, excited eyes gazing at Emma in awe.

Emma looked at her curious, but she nodded weakly. She knew she was going to regret it, but when Alyssa looked at her like that it was hard to say no.

“Um, I’m not much of a dancer,” she said quickly.

“It’s okay,” Alyssa said as they reached the center of the floor and stepped close to Emma, placing a hand on her waist and holding her. “Just follow my lead.”

Before Emma could speak, Alyssa hand started to pull her across the floor in dance steps that Emma struggled to follow. Emma was tense, looking at their feet to see where Alyssa was going next, tripping over her own feet every couple of seconds. Alyssa seemed to notice her stress, so she tugged Emma a little closer. Her hand was at the small of Emma’s back.

“Hey,” Alyssa whispered. “Just relax.”

“Sorry,” Emma muttered.

“It’s okay,” Alyssa said. She dropped Emma’s hand for a moment and found her chin, tilting her head up. “Just look at me. Breathe. You’re doing fine.”

Emma met Alyssa’s eyes and held her gaze while Alyssa led them through the same step until she felt Emma relax.

“See?” Alyssa said. “You’ve got this.”

Emma followed Alyssa’s lead through even more steps, taking them all across the dance floor. It was a simple dance, and it was getting easier to read her body language, knowing where she was going to take them, when they would turn another direction. She picked up on Alyssa’s cues to dip her or twirl her, and eventually the song ended and Alyssa stepped in close. Emma’s breath was heavy as Alyssa leaned into her ear.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ve got a good picture of all the security cameras and blind spots in here. Thanks.”

Emma froze. Right. Of course that’s what Alyssa was doing. “Uh-huh.” Emma choked out. All she wanted right now was to vanish from the spot and never be seen again, but then Alyssa pressed her lips gently against Emma’s cheek and took her hand.

“You hungry?” she said. Emma just nodded dumbly. “Why don’t you go grab us a seat and I’ll get us plates?” She pushed off Emma towards the seating area. Emma turned after her to watch her leave, but instead of heading toward the buffet, Alyssa turned in the opposite direction and disappeared into the crowd.

Emma frowned, hesitating on the balls of her feet for a moment. Alyssa was probably trying to be discreet and keep Emma out of it; she had even told Emma not to follow. That didn’t stop Emma’s curiosity, though. Emma turned the other way and followed Alyssa through the crowd.

She broke free from the dance floor and turned the corner, hoping she was heading in the right direction. It was a little more empty, but there were still people scattered about. Emma was worried she had already lost Alyssa in the crowd, until she saw a familiar red dress disappear down another hallway. She sped toward there and continued her pursuit.

This corridor was long, dark, and empty, except for Alyssa who stood at a doorway at the other end of the hall. As Emma walked closer, her footsteps echoed off the stone walls. Alyssa turned around in a panic, and then saw it was just Emma. She glared.

“I told you not to follow me,” Alyssa snipped, and returned to whatever she was doing at the door. “What are you doing here?”

Emma stopped in her tracks and hesitated. What  _ was  _ she doing here? “I— I was just curious,” she muttered. “I wanted to help.”

“Thank you, but I don’t need any help.” Emma looked over Alyssa’s shoulder and saw her picking the lock of the door.

Suddenly, another set of footsteps echoed through the hall. Emma and Alyssa both turned around to see a security guard starting to round the corner.

“Shit,” Alyssa muttered. “Security must have seen you.” There was a soft click at the door. Alyssa sighed in relief, then looked around in a panic for a moment. She met Emma’s eyes, then gave her a small smile. “Sorry about this.”

Then, Alyssa’s hands were on Emma, grabbing her around the waist and spinning them around so she pressed Emma against the door, pinning her there with her body. Alyssa’s cheek was pressed against Emma’s. Emma blindly grabbed at Alyssa’s arms, confused as to what was happening. Alyssa stayed in that position for a moment, unmoving.

“What are you doi—mmf!“

“Shh!”

Alyssa brought her hand up and covered Emma’s mouth, muffling her protests.

Then, the beam of a flashlight shone over them for a moment.

“Hey! Lovebirds! Back to the party, this area is off limits.”

_ Oh. _

Alyssa leaned back and gave Emma a pointed look before she spun around.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry about that,” Alyssa gasped. “I’m so embarrassed.” She used a slightly different tone of voice than usual. The security guard probably didn’t notice anything off about it, but Emma could tell. It was like she had put on a new persona to talk to the guard. It was interesting.

The security guard looked between the two, and though they hadn’t actually just been kissing, Emma’s flustered silence and her flushed red cheeks would make you think that they had been. She was still trying to calm her racing heartbeat after unexpectedly having Alyssa pressed that close to her.

Alyssa glanced over at Emma and noticed that she was struggling to form a sentence in her head, let alone speak out loud. She grabbed Emma’s hand, lacing their fingers together and tugged her back down the hall.

“We’ll just get out of your hair. Come on, baby.”

Emma’s cheeks grew even hotter at the fake pet name.

The security guard followed close behind, escorting them back. Alyssa was tense at her side, and it wasn’t until they melted back into the crowd that she relaxed.

“Emma, I  _ told  _ you not to follow me!” Alyssa frowned, immediately letting go of her hand. “We were almost caught. You could’ve been in serious trouble.”

“I told you, I just want to help,” Emma said. “What were you doing over there?”

“I was unlocking the service staircase that doesn’t have security cameras so I can get to the exhibit,” Alyssa explained. “Thankfully I was able to get to that before your friend caught us.”

_ “My _ friend?”

Alyssa rolled her eyes. “I was doing fine until he clearly spotted you. I don’t need your help, nor do I want it.”

Emma glared at her. “Hey, who got you into this stupid party in the first place?”

A few curious glances in their direction made Emma and Alyssa both realize that their argument was starting to draw a little attention, which was the last thing they wanted. Alyssa relaxed her shoulders and plastered on a fake smile. “You did, sweetie,” she said, her voice more hushed. “And I appreciate that, but that was all I needed from you.”

Emma looked down at the ground, embarrassed. Maybe she was reading more into… whatever this thing between them was. Maybe Alyssa really didn’t want her help and Emma was just being a nuisance.

“Okay,” she muttered. “You’re right. This is your thing. I’m sorry.” Seriously, what the hell had she been thinking, joining Alyssa on this stupid quest in the first place?

Alyssa’s face softened, a bit more genuine. “Look, appreciate your help. I really do. I’m just not used to people wanting to help me, and you… well you don’t really know what you’re doing.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, you kind of froze up in front of that guard there. You have to be able to think on your feet when shit like that happens.”

“Right,” Emma nodded quickly. “The guard. That’s why I froze.”

Alyssa sighed. “I’m gonna head to the bathroom.” Emma raised an eyebrow at her. “Yes, I am actually going to the bathroom. Please don’t follow me, we need  _ some _ boundaries.” She chuckled lightly. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

Alyssa took off in the direction of the bathrooms. Emma watched her until she disappeared into the crowd. She let out a frustrated sigh, mostly frustrated with herself, then turned around to actually find a place to sit.

At least, she tried to turn around. Instead, she ran smack into a man who was standing directly behind her.

“I am so sorry,” Emma muttered, flustered. She looked up at the man. He wore a crisp, dark green suit. He had dark skin and graying curly hair that was cut very short. His dark eyes were covered with round, wiry glasses sitting atop his nose. He had a kind smile, and a scar across his cheekbone. Strangely enough, something about him felt familiar.

“Oh, it’s quite alright,” he said. He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket for a handkerchief. While he did, Emma caught sight of a leather bound notebook that was also in there. He took off his glasses and wiped the lenses on his handkerchief, then put them back on. “I’m afraid I didn’t see you either. So, what brings you to this shindig?”

“Oh, my grandmother is a curator here,” Emma explained. “I’m Emma Nolan.” It was easy for her to slip into her professional persona, networking and socializing with people at events like this.

“Betsy’s granddaughter?” he asked, reaching out to shake her hand.

“Yeah, you know my grandmother?” Emma asked, smiling.

“Yes, we’ve crossed paths,” he said. “I’m Adam.”

“It’s good to meet you,” Emma said. “Are you a donor here?”

Adam nodded quickly. “Yes, you could say that,” he said. “Big history aficionado, and very intrigued by the research your grandmother does. She’s the one who authenticated Nicholas Drake’s journal, correct?”

Emma nodded with enthusiasm, excited to speak with someone familiar with her grandmother’s work. “Yes! The museum’s archeological team discovered it in the middle of the desert just outside Cairo and they immediately brought it to her to verify. It’s stored in the archives here, but she’s sent me scans of the journal for my own research. It’s been incredible.”

“Yes, that Nicholas Drake was quite the treasure hunter, wasn’t he?” Adam mused. “He was the closest anyone ever came to finding the lost sun temple, Sehket-Re.”

At this, Emma’s brow furrowed, curious. “Yeah,” she muttered. “He was.”

She tried to catch another glimpse of the leather bound journal in his pocket, but Adam placed a hand over his chest and gave her a polite nod. “Well it has been lovely chatting with you, Miss Nolan. I must be off, but please enjoy the rest of the party,” he said with a wink, then slunk back into the crowd.

“You too…”

Emma stared after him, dumbstruck, until she heard an urgent voice behind her.

“Emma!” Alyssa had returned, and she looked ghostly pale, staring past Emma at where Adam had disappeared. “Who was that man you were talking to?”

“Um,” Emma started, “I—I don’t know. I just ran into him and he—“

_ “What was his name?” _

“Adam,” Emma said quickly. “He didn’t give me a last name.”

Alyssa’s eyes darkened. “Shit.” She turned around, not even bothering to wait for Emma, and marched through the crowd.

Emma took off after her. “Alyssa, wait!” She grabbed Alyssa by the arm to stop her in her tracks. “Who was that?”

Alyssa looked up at Emma, conflict in her eyes, and took a deep breath. “That was Adam Greene. My father.” Alyssa looked around wildly. “Where the hell did all the security go?!” She took off again, and Emma followed blindly after her.

“Alyssa, what is going on? I thought your dad was… I don’t know, dead?”

“I never said he was dead,” Alyssa muttered. “I just said he wasn’t around anymore. Where’s your grandmother? Anyone who works here?”

“I—I don’t know,” Emma said. “Can you please explain what is going on?”

Alyssa rounded the corner and pulled Emma against the wall with her. “Did I ever tell you why I got into this line of work?”

Emma shook her head. “No.”

“My father.”

“Is he an archaeologist or something?”

Alyssa laughed, bitter. “Not exactly. He was a treasure hunter. He liked to commandeer artifacts for his own personal collection and fortune. My mom divorced him when she realized the true nature of his work, and he had already left me a sizable trust fund, but then he just disappeared from our lives to keep working.”

“So what does that have to do with all this?”

“I’ve been stealing back a lot of the artifacts he’s commandeered over the years. Usually from private collectors who are just as bad as him, but then Drake’s journal was found. He actually worked with Nicholas Drake and they both made a profit out of exploiting native communities.”

“So that’s how you knew about Userkaf’s Amulet?”

Alyssa nodded. “He and my dad worked together to find both amulets, but when your grandmother verified Drake’s journal, there wasn’t a single mention of my father. I figured he would be upset and try to come after what he thought was rightfully his so Drake wouldn’t get all the credit. That’s why I stole from the Smithsonian. That’s why I’m here for Neferirkare’s Amulet. That’s why I’m trying to find Sehket-Re before him.”

Emma suddenly understood so much more about Alyssa, but at the same time, she was even more confused. “I have so many questions,” Emma huffed.

Alyssa sighed. “Look, I will explain everything later. I promise. Right now, we just need to stop my dad.” Alyssa’s eyes were desperate and she grabbed Emma’s hand. “Can you help me?”

Emma quickly nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Of course.”

Alyssa smiled. “Okay. Go find your grandmother, or security, or anyone else who works here and let them know that someone is trying to rob the museum right now.” She gave Emma’s hand a quick squeeze, then turned around.

“What are you going to do?” Emma called after her.

Alyssa kept going, but she shrugged and answered, “I’m gonna try and stop him.”

Emma stood frozen in place for a split second, before the urgency surged into her brain. She turned around and darted back through the crowd, pushing past people, searching wildly for her grandmother. Finally, she spotted Betsy at the bar, chatting amiably with an older gentleman over a cocktail.

“Gran!” Emma called, running up to her, out of breath. “Gran, I need to talk to you.”

“What’s wrong, dear?” Betsy frowned. “Where’s Alyssa?”

“Gran, please,” Emma said, and grabbed her hand, dragging her away from her conversation.

“I’ll just be a moment,” Betsy said politely to her company, then followed Emma to the side. “What on earth is going on?!”

“I can’t explain everything right now, but someone is trying to rob the museum.”

“What?!”

“Alyssa’s trying to stop him, but you need to alert security. I’m gonna try and help her.”

“Emma, that’s dangerous!”

“Look, I’ll explain later, just trust me and please let security know!” Emma called out again as she ran off.

Emma ran out of the building, out of the party, into the quiet night. She figured Alyssa would be at the exhibit to try and get the amulet before him. If Alyssa was too late, Emma figured she could cut him off at his exit.

Any of the guest parking lots would be way too crowded with people coming and going from the gala, and the employee entrance would have far too much security, so Emma made her way around the back to the loading dock. She didn’t have a plan, she didn’t know what she would do if she ran into Adam, she didn’t even know if he was dangerous, but maybe she could buy Alyssa or the security team a little time.

The loading dock was empty with only a nondescript black van parked out there. Emma crept past it and looked around, still quiet. Then there was a ding from the service elevator. Unthinking, Emma rushed up to stand in front of the doors as they opened, revealing Adam Greene.

He blinked in surprise, then stepped out of the elevator with an amused glare. “I take it my daughter filled you in?”

Emma didn’t move. She folded her arms, trying to look as stoic and intimidating as a nerdy historian possibly could. “Where is the amulet?”

“Sorry about this, love,” Adam muttered, and pulled out a pistol, pointing it at Emma’s chest. “I’m gonna need you to step back.” He took a step forward, then gestured with his gun, and Emma followed suit. She stepped back, heart racing, unsure of what to do, until her back hit the black van parked out here.

He stepped up to her, pressing the gun to her chest. Emma could feel the cold barrel through the fabric of her shirt. She gulped.

“Don’t try and follow me,” he said.

There was a bang as a door to the service staircase burst open. Alyssa appeared, out of breath from running, taking in the scene. She met Emma’s panicked eyes and gasped. “Dad, no!” Alyssa cried out.

Adam looked over his shoulder at Alyssa. In his momentary distraction, Emma reached into his jacket to where he was holding the notebook she had noticed earlier. Her fingers grasped cool leather and she did her best to discreetly slip the notebook out of his pocket just as he turned around.

“It’s so good to see you, dear,” he said. “Unfortunately, you’re just a little too late.” Emma hid the notebook in her own jacket pocket right in time. She felt hands grab her shoulder and suddenly, she was dragged in front of Adam as a shield, being held at gunpoint.

“Let her go!” Alyssa said, suddenly approaching with much more caution.

“In a minute, Alyssa.” He backed toward the drivers door, still holding Emma in front of him. Emma’s heart was racing, unable to see her captor. All she could see was the fear in Alyssa’s eyes as she watched helplessly.

Then, there was a firm hand on her back as Adam pushed Emma to her knees. Alyssa immediately ran up to her, pulling her out of the way. The door behind her slammed shut and the car roared to a start.

“Are you okay?” Alyssa asked, helping her up off the ground.

“I’m fine,” Emma dismissed, shaking her head. “He’s getting away!”

Alyssa looked conflicted, glancing between Emma and the car that was about to speed out of there. Emma nodded, and Alyssa took off running after the car. Emma followed quickly behind her.

The van turned north, tearing down the street faster than Alyssa could chase after. She stopped in her tracks, then ran up to a motorcycle that was parked on the side of the road. She pulled a few things out of her clutch and started playing with some wires.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Emma asked.

Alyssa pressed a wire into place and heard the engine roar to life. She smiled, then ripped off a piece of electrical tape with her teeth, taping the wires together. She hopped on the bike then glanced over at Emma, a smirk on her lips.

“Are you coming?”

Emma’s breath stuttered, her brain doing its best to function upon the sight of Alyssa, a bit disheveled, but still looking as gorgeous as ever in her red dress, sitting atop a motorcycle. Every thought of how dangerous or stupid this was left her brain and she just nodded dumbly, climbing onto the bike behind Alyssa.

“Hold on tight!” Alyssa called out. Emma wrapped her arms around Alyssa’s waist, holding her close, then Alyssa revved the engine and sped off down the street after the black van.

Thankfully the London streets were still busy enough this time of night that Adam hadn’t gotten too far and they could still see his car up ahead. Alyssa was apparently adept at driving a motorcycle and weaved through the traffic with ease, gaining ground quickly. Emma had never been on a motorcycle before. Her brain coursed with nerves and excitement and adrenaline as her hair whipped around in the wind.

The van made a sharp left into Hyde Park, and Alyssa followed after. It was a little more difficult to maneuver with only two lanes through the street and having to avoid the odd late-night joggers, bikers, and dog walkers, but Alyssa maneuvered expertly and the van stayed within their sights.

The van was already halfway across the bridge when they got there and Alyssa drove a little more carefully out of fear of sending them careening over the edge and into the water. They lost some ground, but Alyssa’s motorcycle was a lot faster and a lot more flexible. As soon as she cleared the bridge, she sped up again.

Alyssa swerved past obvious obstacles like it was second nature, but she had a laser focus on the van they were attempting to catch that she almost missed the family of four that was about to cross the street in front of them.

Emma squeezed her arms tight and shouted, “Look out!” right into Alyssa’s ear.

Alyssa made a sharp turn, skidding to a halt just before she barreled into the wagon that the youngest child sat inside.

“Sorry!” she said quickly, then sped past them.

The van made another sharp left out of the park while they were still well behind them, and when Alyssa followed back onto the street, Emma had lost sight of the van completely.

“Where’d he go?”

“There!” Alyssa nodded a block ahead, where a black van had crashed into a pole just outside Lancaster Gate. Alyssa’s bike screeched to a halt right next to the black van. She helped Emma off and they both took off down the stairs into the subway station.

The roar of a train as it pulled up at the tracks filled their ears as they pushed through the crowd, searching frantically, until finally Emma caught a glimpse of his familiar dark green suit.

“This way!” she called. She grabbed Alyssa’s wrist and took off in another direction after him. Time seemed to slow down for a moment when they watched as Adam Greene slipped onto the train and a moment later, the doors slid shut behind him.

“No!” Alyssa shouted. She tried to rush up to the side of the train and pry open the doors, but Emma caught her around the waist, holding her back.

Adam Greene waved through the window as the train took off, leaving them behind.

“Damn it!” Alyssa cursed, wrenching herself from Emma’s arms. “He has the amulet! He got away!”

“It’s okay,” Emma tried to calm her down. “You’ll find him and you’ll get it back.”

Alyssa laughed bitterly. “I tried to find that man for fifteen years. If he doesn’t want to be found, I won’t find him.”

“Then you’ll find Sehket-Re and you’ll get Sahure’s Amulet before he can.”

“It’s a lost temple, Emma!” Alyssa cried out. “I’ve been looking for it for over a year! Nicholas Drake couldn’t find it, what makes you think I’ll be able to find it?!”

Emma shrugged. “Maybe with a little help from Nicholas Drake’s journal?” She pulled the leather-bound notebook out and showed Alyssa. The initials  _ ND _ embroidered on the back cover confirmed Emma’s suspicions.

Alyssa gasped, staring at the book in awe. She flipped through the pages, seeing the notes and drawings of various artifacts he had stolen and lost places he had discovered in the process. She looked up at Emma, curious. “How did you..?”

“I caught a glimpse of it when your dad was talking to me. I think he stole it before the party to help him find Sehket-Re, so when he had me up against the car I just… took it.”

Alyssa laughed gently, a genuine, awestruck smile on her face. “I think I underestimated you, Emma.” She tried to take the book from Emma’s hands, but Emma swiped it away and held it out of her reach. Alyssa frowned. “Hey!”

“I’ll give you this journal on one condition,” Emma said.

“What is it?” Alyssa asked.

Emma took a deep breath, a thrill of excitement shooting down her spine. “I’m coming with you to find the lost sun temple.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been so much fun to research/write, so thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated.


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